Almost Nothing But Blue Ground: Tom Pope & Matthew Benington

About

Anna Atkins, who was both a pivotal figure in the history of British photography and a direct and indirect beneficiary of colonial exploitation, produced the first book that used photographic illustrations, ‘British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions’ in 1843. Almost Nothing But Blue Ground focuses specifically on Atkins’ later book ‘Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns’, which was created collaboratively with Anne Dixon in 1853. Many of the ferns included in the book were from Jamaica - testifying to the fact that Atkins’ husband and father-in-law jointly owned at least eight plantations and thousands of slaves in Jamaica.

Almost Nothing But Blue Ground uses research, socially engaged strategies of making and dialogic modes to explore the links between botany and the plundering of foreign lands. The exhibition presents archival material, objects and collectively made cyanotypes, which are activated as illustrative exhibits in a series of performative lectures. Many of the exhibited materials were collected during a performative week-long walk that Pope and Benington conducted in 2021, when they travelled on foot from Atkins' house in Tonbridge to Dixon's in Ferring. On the journey, Pope and Benington dragged a trolley that carried photographic darkroom equipment and served as a table for them to create, socialise, and discuss the impetus of the project with people they met along the way.

Tom Pope and Matthew Benington will present two performative lectures at FormaHQ on Saturday 13 April. Following each performance the artists’ engage in conversations with the audience and invited guests: John Hunnex, Curator of British and Irish Herbarium at The Natural History Museum, and Richard Court, artist and resident gardener at Forma’s Peveril Gardens.

Created specially to coincide with the Almost Nothing but Blue Ground exhibition at Forma. The print takes its name, The Brick, from the term the immediate area around the old Bricklayers Arms (1844-1963) pub was known as. The pub is a place of socialising, rest and community which is particularly important to this area with its history of pilgrimage. The print sees an image of the Bricklayers Arms placed within a network of Melianthus Major and Kniphofia ‘red popsicle’. Both species, selected for their medicinal benefits, were collected from the Forma rooftop garden. The organic matter forms a network that could be perceived as a community of people where knowledge, history and stories are shared.

To preorder, visit Presse Books online or in person.

Visiting Information:

Opening Friday: 5 April, 18:30 with Performative lecture (rsvp@forma.org.uk)
Exhibition: Tuesday - Friday, 11:00 - 17:00
Cyanotype Workshop: 6 April, 10:00 - 14:00 (Tickets)
Performative lectures: 13 April, 14:00 & 17:00 (rsvp@forma.org.uk)

Access Information:
FormaHQ and Presse Books are on the ground floor with an accessible toilet. The rooftop Peveril Gardens has step free access available - speak to a member of staff upon arrival for more information.